September 26, 2017

This Thursday, September 28, 2017, I will be closing on my new home in Portland.  I've been busily setting up the utilities.

The seller agreed to reduce the price so I could have some repair work done.  I've scheduled an exterminator to work on the crawlspace under the house.  Here mice and rats are a big problem.  Gross!  Luckily, no roaches.  (I haven't even seen a mosquito since I've been here.)

Then a mold specialist will work in the crawlspace and the attic.  Mold is another problem here since it rains most days for nine months of the year.  Then I'll have insulation installed so I don't freeze my tuckus this winter.

I'm trying to get an electrician to do a couple of repairs.  They are so busy here.

There is a weird fireplace in the living room.  It's wood burning but not working anymore.  There's no chimney.  It has a pipe running from it up to the roof.  The fireplace and hearth take up a lot of space.  I'm going to have it removed and I'll buy an electric unit.

As long as I have to tear up the wall to remove the fireplace I may as well have the whole room painted.  Guess in what color!

My plan is to move in towards the end of October.  I have to pay another month's rent in the retirement home anyway.  That gives me another month to get better.

I don't feel ready yet to take care of a house on my own.  Today I was exhausted after only going to the grocery store.  So, I'll take the move slow and steady.

September 19, 2017

Yesterday was a sorry day for the city of Portland. 

It was the day of the hearing for the bus driver who crashed  into me on 5/22/2017. My lawyer picked me up and took me to the courthouse in case I needed to testify.

The driver didn't show up.  A lawyer came in his stead.  The deputy who issued the tickets didn't show up.  My lawyer wanted to show the judge the video of the bus accident.  The judge said that he could not find the bus driver guilty because the police officer did not bother to come to court to testify.

So, the driver's record will be cleared of these 2 tickets for reckless driving and not yielding to a pedestrian.

We don't know if he is still employed by the Trimet bus company or if he is still driving a bus for the city of Portland.

My lawyer discovered that this driver had previous reckless driving tickets before he was hired by Trimet.

Of course, I will continue my civil suit against the bus company which is city-owned.  It would have been more straightforward if the driver had been found guilty.

So, this irresponsible man gets away unscathed.

I have to go now to my physical therapy appointment.  The therapy is always painful.  My injuries will remain with me for the rest of my life.

I am rightfully VERY pissed off!

September 17, 2017

The house that I have a contract on was inspected last week.  Houses in Portland need so many repairs.  Hopefully the seller and I can come to an agreement on the repairs.  We have until this Thursday to settle.

It's a cute little house.  It has a nice yard - not too big, not too small.

I will have to pay for another month's rent in Russellville.  During October I can have the repairs done and move my stuff over slowly.  I get tired easy so it will take quite a while to make it comfy.

I just gave Sweetsie a bath and freshened up her pinkness.  She was still itchy from being at the beach last weekend.

Today Russellville is having a Brazilian party.  There's a special dinner that comes with an extra (high) special price and Samba dancers.  I'm going - why not? - it's something different to do.

Tomorrow the bus driver is going to court to plead not guilty for crashing into me in a crosswalk.  I hope the detective who gave him the tickets shows up.  He gave him 2 tickets and he also watched the video of the accident.  My lawyer is taking me to the courthouse.  I don't see how he could not be found GUILTY.  But then I don't see how a bus driver could run a stop sign and hit a pedestrian either.  I was wearing bright clothing and walking a hot pink dog. Why wasn't he watching where he was going?

In the meantime I still have to use a walker and go to physical therapy twice a week.  I try to use a cane around the apartment.  This whole ordeal just really sucks!!

September 11, 2017

Tomorrow is the inspection for a house that I have a contract on.  It's a small house but it has a 2 car attached garage.  That is so rare to find in Portland.  It also is on flat ground.

There are a couple stairs from the porch.  I'll have to install a hand rail for sure and maybe a ramp.  It doesn't have a covered patio.  There is a back deck and I hope to be able to install a roof over it.

The house meets most of my requirements.  Hopefully, the inspection will go well and the seller will make any of the needed repairs.

Andy was here visiting from Thursday night to Monday morning.  We went to Gearhart, Oregon on the southern coast.  Kevin and his family were sharing a house with 2 other couples with kids.  There wasn't enough room in the house for me so I stayed in a nearby condo.

The condo was great - I could see the ocean and beach from the patio.

at dusk

After the first night Andy decided to stay with me in the condo where there was a nice long sofa.  Kevin and family came over for lunch and played in the condo's big pool.

The next day we went to the beach.  The dogs had a great time chasing a ball and a frisbee.  Sweetsie liked rolling in the sand.

We drove back on Sunday.  Kenny and Miho love their Uncle Andy.  Andy got to watch cartoons and learn all about Ninjago.  Miho liked playing house with him in her little toy closet.

It was wonderful having both my sons together and spending time as a family!

Andy and I had breakfast in the Russellville restaurant.  Sweetsie had to sit in a box since I am trying to use my cane more.  Before she would just sit in my walker basket.
Andy carried her out of the restaurant in her box.  She really is a very well behaved little poodle..

September 2, 2017

Feeling very bummed right now.  I was checking emails this morning.  One from redfin.com announced that the house that I really really wanted had accepted an offer and it wasn't mine!

I'll keep on looking.  Maybe another great house will pop up.  A perfect house would be on Kevin's street.

August 31, 2017

My son, Andy safely made it through Hurricane Harvey.  He said it was "an interesting week."  That's one way of looking at it - especially if you don't own property.  He still is not back in his first floor apartment.

I heard from my old neighbors that the section of Dumfries Drive where I used to live in Houston did not have flooded houses.  The national news made it look like total destruction in Houston.  Luckily there a few pockets that are okay.

Meanwhile in Portland:  The house that I had wanted to buy on North Fowler Street needed quite a few repairs.  I requested that the seller make the repairs.  He countered with an offer to reduce the price by $10,000.  That would not be enough to cover the necessary repairs plus I did not want have to deal with finding and scheduling contractors to do the work.

I was not totally enamored with that house.  It had many features that I wanted but it was on part of the street that looked messy.  The next door neighbor was letting people camp out on his driveway and in front of his house.  There had been many complaints against this neighbor but the campers remained.  I terminated the contract.

In the meantime I kept looking at houses online.  I went to one of them.  It is SO much better than the other one.  It was lovingly cared for over the years and was beautiful.  The street was well kept. 

I put in an offer on that house yesterday.  I offered to buy it at the asking price.  The seller is supposed to review offers on Sunday.  Houses in North Portland often sell for more than the price listed.  I included a letter to the seller telling her why I wanted the house.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the seller will let me buy the house.  I think inspection would go well on this house.  The seller took good care of it.

August 27, 2017: Hurricane Harvey

I've been happy that I moved to Portland.  I get to see Kevin and family often.  But, I have had regrets - especially about getting hit by a bus.  Also I miss seeing my son, Andy, working at Rice and being with friends.

Hurricane Harvey has changed all that (except the part about the bus).  I would be terrified owning property in Houston now.  I always worried about the high water.  My house never flooded but all the construction has been causing more places to be in the flood zone.

In the past if I was caught out on the road during heavy rains, I could always pull into a mall parking lot or a fast food restaurant.  Now Harvey is shutting the whole city down.  My friend Bert said that the McDonald's in my old neighborhood already has 2 feet of water in it.  And it is supposed to keep raining heavily through Wednesday.

People that I talk to in Portland don't seem to comprehend the extent of Houston's flooding problems. Previous storms have had people drowning in underpasses, canoes paddling down freeways, houses being destroyed.

The most terrifying time is at night when you can't tell how high or fast the water is rising.

I hope that the predictions are wrong and that the city isn't destroyed.  Please may my Andy and my friends stay safe.